Someone was out back, trying to attack us.
“Fuck!” Wes yelled. “You’re fucking bleeding everywhere!” I looked at him and he put a finger to his mouth. “Please! Hold on for me, Rose! Don’t let go!”
Wes backed up to the open bedroom door.
He then motioned to me to watch the door.
He mouthed, From the back door!
Then he made a fist.
Christ, it was just like watching him in my apartment.
We waited.
Second after second.
They clung like minutes.
There wasn’t a damn sound.
Wes then came forward and dropped to his knees. “Listen to me. You go into the closet and stay there. I’ll come get you.”
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“I have to find out who it is.”
“What if it’s Luke?”
“I’ll kill him.”
“You can’t…”
Wes gritted his teeth. “Just stay fucking here.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “Okay, fine. Go. Good luck.”
“Good luck? Yeah, thanks.”
Wes crept out of the bedroom.
I slowly kicked myself back to the closet door. I opened it and took a shaky breath. I just wanted to kiss Wes a little. Was that so bad?
I moved to the closet and started to pull it shut.
That’s when the gun went off again.
20.
(Wes)
I had no fucking clue what I was trying to do or prove. Christ. I was a fighter. I was used to going toe to toe with people. I didn’t do sneak attacks. But here I was, opening and shutting the back door without making a sound. Crouching down and walking across the deck as slow as I could.
I made it to the steps and then saw something glow.
The tip of a cigarette.
The fucking guy was out here smoking.
How stupid could he be?
I watched the glow of the cigarette and worked my way toward it. I should have put a damn shirt on because the low hanging branches grabbed at my skin, slicing at me. It was like nature was warning me to get the fuck out of there. To maybe just leave Rose in the closet and go find another way.
But I couldn’t do that to her. It made no goddamn sense. Her family was the reason I lost Shane. Yet she was the innocent one in it all. If she was telling the truth.
When I got close enough I could see the guy standing there. A rifle in his hand. He must have been watching us in the bedroom. Maybe even listening to us. Arguing, stepping closer to one another, lining up his kill shot… but luckily missing me and Rose.
I paused and thought about what to do. I wasn’t sure if this guy was alone or what the hell was going on. Or who he was. Or who he was with. One thing was for sure - he tried to kill Rose. That wasn’t going to stand with me.
I lunged forward and put my shoulder into the middle of his back. My arms wrapped around his body and I had him. As we went down to the ground, the gun went off but fell out of his hands. I grabbed the weapon and tossed it away, just to make sure he couldn’t get it.
The guy yelled and tried to thrash. I was bigger, stronger, and he had no idea what to do. I brought a fist down to the back of his head. Then another, and another. That’s when he started to calm down. I moved from him and dragged him out of the trees to the moonlight.
“Do you have any other guns on you?” I asked.
“Fuck you,” he spat.
I sat him against a tree and punched him in the mouth. He fell to the side, holding his mouth, groaning. His hands shot out and he tried to get away. What the hell did he think? That he was going to just crawl away?
I found the gun and lifted it. I pointed it at the guy and whistled. When he looked at me and saw the gun, his eyes went wide and he froze for good.
“Hands up and stand the fuck up,” I said.
“Okay, okay, man. Don’t shoot.”
The guy climbed to his feet. I definitely didn’t know who he was. I thought about getting Rose, but she didn’t need to see what I planned on doing with this asshole.
He put his hands up. “Look. I’m listening.”
“Who are you?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Do you have any other weapons?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t care,” he said.
“Strip then.”
“Fuck yourself.”
I raised the rifle and pulled the trigger. Its shot thundered all around. I pointed the gun at the guy. “Next one goes through your skull.”
“Okay, fuck,” the guy said. “Fuck.”
He stripped down to a white pair of boxers. The front was stained with what I assumed to be piss. He probably pissed himself when I tackled.
“Look, I was hired,” he said. “I don’t know who you are…”
“Yes you do. Who fucking hired you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not, man.”
“Was it Luke?”
“I don’t know who Luke is,” he said. “He was a thick guy. Tan skin. Clean cut. He looked stressed and tired. Said you were a bad guy and needed to go. I didn’t know you were with someone in the room. Thought I could get a quick shot.”
“You suck at this,” I said and smiled. “Now you’re in your panties.”